


Missing You, and Hoping You Miss Me Too

by QueenieRose53001



Series: all that i have, all that i need [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Force Ghosts, Gen, Interrogation, Jakku, Kylo Ren and Rey Are Related, Menstruation, Minor Character Death, Padmé and Shmi are friends in the afterlife, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey-Centric, That's Not How The Force Works, Young Rey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2018-12-24 10:15:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12010617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenieRose53001/pseuds/QueenieRose53001
Summary: In the cold desert nights on the desolate planet Jakku, Rey dreams of family.





	1. Sandstorm

“There’s a sandstorm coming.”

Rey fell out of her hammock. The impact against the metal floor caused no pain.  She scrambled to her feet and found the knife she carried, trying to brandish it at whoever was in her home.

There was a woman sitting cross legged in the middle of the floor. She was dressed in greys. Dark hair with streaks of silver was pulled back in a loose knot, strands of it falling out to frame her face, sunburnt skin and sad eyes. She was backlit by the moon shining in through the AT-AT's window. 

“Who are you? What are you doing in my shelter?” Rey yelled, trying to be threatening, but she was only ten, and a ten year old human girl was the last thing from threatening, even with a weapon. 

The woman smiled, still sad. “My name is,” Her mouth formed a name but there was no sound. “My name is,” She tried again. Still no sound. The woman sighed and stood slowly, turning to pace around the shelter.

Rey gasped. The woman’s entire back was red and bloody, skin and clothing torn to shreds. The woman heard Rey’s cry and turned back to her. “Do not worry, Rey. I have been part of the Force for nearly sixty years. Injuries of the living do not hurt me any longer, I am glad to say."

“But who are you?” Rey asked, still white knuckling the knife.

“I am your great grandmother.” Rey choked on air. Family. “You and I are daughters of the desert, even though you were not born here. My name is Ess, though it is not. Call me Ess.”

“Ess, where is the rest of my family? Why did they leave me here?” Rey scrambled to ask all the questions she had. “When are they coming back? Who are they?”

Ess smiled again, still a sad smile. “I don’t know where they are. They left you here to protect you from the violence that runs in our family, through my son. If the Force will not let me tell you my name, I cannot speak your father’s, or your aunt’s, or your cousin’s. And Rey, I do not know when they are coming to find you.”

Rey’s eyes watered and spilled over, but she couldn’t feel the moisture. “I’m wasting,” She murmured, wiping at her face. "I can't waste moisture, I'm thirsty anyways."

Ess cringed. Three generations later, and her descendants were still dying of thirst on backwater planets. “No, my great granddaughter, you can cry here. You are still dreaming. When you wake, seal the windows and entrances to this place. Hunker down. There will be leaks, as this is your first sandstorm alone, so cover your mouth and nose with cloth. Shield your eyes. Do you have anything to cover your face with?"

Rey nodded, running around the empty hull of the AT-AT and pulling out a headscarf. There was the visor of an old storm trooper's helmet sewn on to the front. "I made this, Ess. All on my own."

Her great grandmother smiled. "That looks very well made, little one. And to seal the leaks, use the wrappers from your rations, as they are waxy. They will become malleable with a small amount of heat. And when the sandstorm hits, just wait it out. It will be scary. The wind will whistle and the ground will shake but it will pass. I have lived through countless sandstorms, Rey, and it is terrifying, but you will be safe. I wish I could stay with you when the storm comes, but I lack the power to appear in your awake consciousness. My son had it, and his children have it, and their children have it. But I will always be with you in your thoughts. I will come back when you need help, or someone to teach you something important. I love you, Rey."

“I love you too, Ess. Thank you.” Rey said, so solemn and mature for a ten year old child. Ess smiled, and then she faded away.

“I will come back when you need me.”

Rey woke up. She was still in her hammock, and she went about doing what Ess had instructed her. There was family waiting for her.


	2. Blood, Sweat and Tears

“Rey.”

She was fourteen. Her stomach had been cramping and bloating for weeks, and the worry that she was dying had begun to fade. Rey woke, no falling out of the hammock this time. She found Ess, the family that Rey knew she must have had but couldn’t remember. 

But there was another woman with her, and she was so much younger than Ess. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, tiny white flowers tucked into the strands. She wore a dark blue gown that reminded Rey of the night sky. Her eyes were clever, and she tilted her head and smiled at Rey when she knew that she was awake. She held a hand over her slightly swollen stomach, as if it pained her. 

“Ess!” Rey greeted. The older woman hugged her great granddaughter. It had been years since Rey had seen her, but she hadn’t escaped Rey’s thoughts.

“Rey,” Ess grinned, not as sad. “I have someone for you to meet.” 

The new woman smiled. “My mother in law told me that the Force will not let us say our names. It doesn’t want you to know who you are, for whatever reason. Call me Naberrie. I’m your grandmother.”

Rey sucked in a breath of dry, desert air. She saw the resemblance between her and her grandmother. They had the same shade of hair, and the fair freckled skin. Her eyes were dark brown, blending in with her irises in the low light. 

“Why are you here again?” Rey asked, still soaking in the image of her grandmother. Ess and Naberrie shared a glance. 

“This is a tender subject, little Rey.” Naberrie said. “Your body is beginning to change. This world is harsh, I know, and it will always be that way, but humans develop during their teenage years. Human girls, especially. Girls’ bodies change to carry children. It is a terrifying change, Rey. I was so scared. Once a month, an organ sheds its lining. The lining is made of blood, and it is scary to wake up and find yourself in a puddle of blood.”

Rey blinked, once, twice, before she responded. “I’m going to bleed? That’s a lot of water for me to lose. I can hardly stay hydrated already.”

Naberrie and Ess looked at each other. “Ess, can you please explain how a period works in the desert? I know you lived in deserts for your entire life. I’m sorry I didn’t do more to help you.”

Ess looked sad again. “Naberrie, we’ve been over this. We cannot change what we have done. Or what we didn’t.”

It was Naberrie’s turn to look sad. “I’m so sorry,” She said, saying a silent name at the end of the sentence. It was Ess’s real name, but as the Force wanted it, there was no sound.

Ess seemed to deflate. “But Rey, the bleeding, a period, does not affect how hydrated you are. You only lose about a spoonful of blood. There is pain, and it lasts a few days, but it doesn’t affect your hydration.”

Rey sighed in relief. “But my clothes? I can’t spare water to wash blood out of my clothes.”

Naberrie spoke up. “You don’t need to use a lot of water to wash it out. Make special undergarments to catch the blood. I will show you. Ess said that you remember these special nights when we come to you.” 

“I do. I think of you all the time, Ess.”

Ess smiled and shook her head. “Little one, you shouldn’t be thinking of me. You have to keep working, as much as it is exhausting. But if it gives you hope, then you may.”

“Oh, Ess, Naberrie,” Rey said, grinning, “I made a staff! People have been trying to take my salvage but with this I can keep them from doing that!”

Rey ran to the other side of the AT-AT, grabbing a metal pole and running back. “See! I made this with parts that couldn’t be sold!”

Naberrie took the staff and examined it. “It’s beautiful, little one. It will serve you well. Now, I must show you how to make the wraps. It is almost morning, and you are close to waking.”

Naberrie had extra fabric with her, and both Naberrie and Ess helped teach Rey how to make the cloth padding. In the dreamscape, the sun began to rise. Naberrie and Ess shared a troubled glance behind Rey’s back. 

When they were finished, and Rey could make a pad with her eyes closed, Naberrie and Ess gathered their descendant in their arms. “Now Rey,” Ess began. “Do not dawdle on tonight, or on the fact that you are going to bleed. With your diet and the labor you put in, it will not be as frequent as normal. That is okay. You are on your way to becoming a woman. It’s okay.”

Naberrie spoke up. “Rey, we will be watching over you. We do not have to power to alter the real world, like the rest of our kin, but that does not stop us from loving you, and wanting the best for you. We love you, Rey, and we wish that the living members of our family come to their senses soon. We will see you when you need us.”

“I love you, Grandmother. I love you, Great Grandmother.” Rey said. As the dream faded, Naberrie and Ess held her tight.

Rey woke up, swinging herself out of her hammock. There was a pile of fabric on her workbench. Rey smiled and got to work.


	3. Every Man For Himself

By the time she was ten, Rey had spent half of her life in the deserts. The lifestyle was harsh and cruel. Unkar Plutt had dumped her with a pair of human scavengers, brother and sister. They had taken care of her, the best they could. 

Inej and Neium had taught her how to tinker and tamper, to find parts worth scavenging, to preserve water. She could free climb up the side of a giant ship called a Star Destroyer, though Neium had assured her that they had never destroyed any stars, at the little girl’s passion for the night sky made her upset at the name. She could run faster than the two of them combined, and her little body was perfect for squeezing into tight crevices to retrieve parts of value that neither Inej or Neium could get.

One summer afternoon, the three of them had found the plasma chambers of two otherwise broken blasters, near the shells of two clone troopers half buried in the desert sands. The storm the previous night had blown away the soldier’s makeshift burial spot.

The  plasma chambers, by some miracle the galaxy had to offer, still intact, would be worth at least fifty portions a piece. Rey was ready to eat like a queen, as were Inej and Neium. Droughts had ravaged the already dry planet for three years after Rey’s arrival. The inhabitants were still recovering, especially the scavengers, who lived meal by meal.

Neium held Rey’s hand as they made their way back to the outpost. The sun was beginning to set, and they were going to make it back just as night fell. Out of the corner of her eye, Rey saw a glint of metal.

“Neium, Inej, can I go see what it is?” Rey asked, her voice still so little. Neium nodded.

“Hurry back, small one.” He said, and Rey ran off.

As she approached the metal, she realized it was one of the ancient landwalkers that littered the scrap fields. A blue light began to shimmer in front of her. Rey slowed, stopped. She didn’t know why, as it was just a mirage, and Neium had told her to hurry. 

But then the mirage focused. It took the form of a young man, with long blond hair pushed out of his face, wearing grey robes like those of the people of the Church of the Force did. He had a scar running down the right side of his forehead, crossing over his eye. He looked powerful, but that was faded. His eyes were bright blue, made more vibrant by the blue tint his entire form took, but they were sad. Everyone on Jakku had the same look in their eyes, their demeanor. The hopelessness, the hunger. But this man was different. 

Rey blinked, waiting for the mirage to vanish, a trick in the light. But it didn’t. The man brought the frame of a metal hand to his face, putting a finger in front of his lips. Rey blinked again, and the man kneeled down.

Blaster fire. The mirage winced. A scream that ended as suddenly as it had started, cut off by more blaster fire. The mirage winced again, the sound of two heavy objects hitting the sand audible. Rey whipped around.

One figure was running away from the place where she had left Inej and Neium. Two bodies were sprawled out, blaster burns on their chests, their packs scattered, parts of value missing, including the plasma chambers. Rey screamed. 

The mirage, or the ghost, or whatever it was, spoke. Rey cried out again. “Little one. Hush. These worlds are so cruel. You will be alright. Gather their things, go to the outpost. You will survive this.”

Rey swallowed the lump in her throat and made her way to the bodies. Inej had a look of horror frozen on her face, reaching out for her brother when she fell. The blaster burn was red, brighter red than blood, contrasting sickly against her dark skin. Neium had been taken by surprise. He had a peaceful look on his face. Rey started to cry when she realized he had been looking out at her. 

Rey scavenged what she could from her guardians’ bodies. She took their canteens, the rations they had been keeping in their packs. She knew they had more hoarded back in their shelter. Rey realized she couldn’t stay there, not after they were murdered. The walker that she had found would work as a shelter. She would move there. She gathered the rest of their loot, simple hydrospanners and other things that would only fetch her a few portions. She took their tools and weapons and packs, until she resembled a tiny pack animal, and went back to the hollow walker. 

After the desert winds buried Inej and Neium’s bodies, Rey packed up their shelter and moved into the hollow shell of the walker near where they were killed. She started marking the days, started fending for herself. She had taken Inej’s knife, and Neium’s toolkit, and like the plants Inej and Neium had kept in their shelter, Rey began to thrive. 


	4. Crash

Rey was nineteen years old when Naberrie and Ess returned to her dreams. She had grown into an intimidating presence and a respected trader. She worked hard, and dreamed harder of the family waiting to sweep her out of the sand. 

“Rey,” Ess said, stirring her from sleep. She stood from her hammock and hugged her grandmother and great grandmother. Naberrie wore a white jumpsuit and a white shawl, and Ess had on a cloak as well, covering her bloody back. But with them was a young man, with a scar running down the right side of his face. Rey snarled.

“It’s you. You let them get murdered!” She yelled at the man, grabbing her staff and pounding her feet towards him. He raised his hands and looked down at the hem of his robes. 

“Rey. I’m sorry your guardians were killed. I couldn’t do anything about it.” The man said. He looked like Ess, a little bit. “I was powerful in life, but in death, I can only observe. I’m sorry, Rey.”

Rey lowered the staff. “Who are you?”

“My name was,” He spoke a silent word, becoming frustrated. “Even after death the Force finds new ways to screw with us.” He sighed. “Call me Ani. I am your grandfather.” Rey looked at him, saw the was Naberrie was looking at him, with the purest light in her eyes. This was Ess’s son, and Naberrie’s husband. Her grandfather. More family for her to meet, even if all of them were dead.  

“Why are all of you here?” Rey asked. She should have known better to think this a peaceful family gathering. The last two times that her family had shown up in her dreams, major life changes had happened.

Ess looked at her daughter in law and her husband before responding. “You have always dreamed of flying into the stars, away from this planet. Something is happening right now that will change the course of your destiny, Rey.”

Rey blinked. Naberrie spoke up. “You were always meant for more than this, Rey. You are from a powerful family, from two generations of good, but flawed men.” Ani winced. “They made choices that one day, you will have to make as well.”

It was Ani’s turn to speak. “You are the fourth generation of our family living in the desert with the hope of getting out. You are second generation freeborn, and I am so proud to be your grandfather. And when the Force lets us speak our names, we will tell you stories of our children and their children, and you. Your name, Rey. We love you.” 

Ess took Rey’s hand. “Come with us, Rey. We want to show you what will change everything.” Rey nodded, and Naberrie took Ani’s hand, and they made their way out of the AT-AT and into the desert. They walked in silence for miles, dunes shifting, and suddenly the sky was on fire.

Rey almost shrieked, but she managed to pull herself together as a Neo-Imperial TIE fighter crashed into the sands a hundred feet away. There was a cloud of sand, and Ess let Rey cover her face with a piece of her cloak. When the sand settled, Rey noticed two stars falling. They weren’t really stars, but ejected pilot’s seats. 

Somehow Rey could see the men in each seat. One wore something similar to clone armor, while the other one was wearing brown fatigues. He had blood running down his chin, from his hairline. Each man was slumped in his seat, unconscious. 

“Who are they?” Rey asked no one in particular. Ani looked at the stars as the chutes swept the men in two different directions.

“They will each be coming into your life, Rey. They will be the ones to sweep you off this planet. You will not remember their faces when you wake. You will remember us telling you that we loved you. You will remember our promise, and when you look to the stars you will think of us.”

The sun began to rise. Ess’s grip on Rey’s hand tightened. “We love you, Rey. Now we need to go back.”

Rey felt her eyes start to close against her will. Ess looked over her shoulder to her son, who nodded and swept Rey into his arms. 

“Sleep, granddaughter. Tomorrow will be a long day.” The rocking motion lulls her to sleep.

Rey awakes to the sound of a screaming droid. 


	5. Creature in a Mask

Rey was literally frozen in fear. She couldn’t move, save for her heavy breathing and trembling. The villain approached her, his lightsaber crackling and hissing red against the green forest. The arm that held the blaster Han had given her was pinned to her side.

“The girl I’ve heard so much about.” His voice crackled with the modifier in his helmet. He reached out, and Rey felt him at the edges of her mind. She squirmed against her invisible restraints.

“The map.” His voice suddenly flooded with wonder, but a sinister kind. “You’ve seen it.” The figure kept approaching her, toying with her fear.

At that moment, a stormtrooper approached the black figure. “Sir. Resistance pilots. We need more troops.”

Without releasing Rey from his grasp, the man turned. “Pull the division out. Forget the droid. We have what we need.” Rey almost heard the smile under the mask.

The stormtrooper nodded and turned away. The man turned back to Rey. He raised his hand as he circled her, and as he gestured near her head, she felt dizzy.

Her knees buckled and she was barely aware of the man catching her before she lost consciousness.

She woke in hyperspace, in the back of a command shuttle. The cargo door was pinned shut. There was a familiar voice cursing in an unfamiliar language. Rey stood, but when she turned back around to find the voice she couldn’t help but yell. Her body was still laying on the floor of the shuttle, curled in a fetal position, hands bound behind her back.

The ghost noticed her before she noticed him. Ani put his hand on Rey’s shoulder, causing her to jump.

“Ani, am I dead?” Rey asked, tears welling in her eyes. He looked sad. She must be dead! She was dead before she could ever find her family again, killed by that terrorizing man in black.

Ani looked like he was going to cry. “No, Granddaughter. You are not dead. Kylo Ren simply knocked you unconscious. He will interrogate you. He wants the map. But you are not defenseless, Rey. You have my ability, passed on to you from your father. You can tap into it. Just take your energy and fight his.”

“But Grandfather,” Rey said. “He can overpower me! He did in the forest.”

“Rey,” Ani adviced, “He will be too distracted by you. You will easily be able to fight him. Rey, I believe in you. He has nothing against you. I love you.”

“I love you too, Grandfather.”

Rey woke and she was alone. Her grandfather wasn’t there with her, but she could still feel his presence, warmth and comfort. She didn’t know where she was. The room was sterile, and metallic, and cold, and Rey was strapped to a chair.

Then she noticed the man in black crouched in front of her. She stared at him, fury in her eyes.

“Where am I?” She snarled. Kylo Ren stood.

“You’re my guest.” Ren said, shrugging slightly.

“Where are the others.” Rey asked, not asking it like a question but saying it as a statement. The man turned, chuckling, cloak billowing behind him.

“Do you mean the murderers, traitors and thieves you call friends?” He asked, the sarcasm dripping from his tone. “You’ll be relieved to hear that I have no idea.”

He looked at Rey, waiting for her to sigh in relief, react in any way. After a moment of silence, he sighed. “You still want to kill me.”

“That happens when you’re being hunted by a creature in a mask.” Rey snapped, pulling at her restraints. Kylo Ren sighed again. He reached up and unhooked a latch at the back of his head. The helmet came off, and revealed a unconventionally attractive face, a large nose and ears, wavy black hair, a long chin. Suddenly he looked very much like like Han Solo. Rey dismissed the thought.

“Tell me about the droid.” He said. His voice was much shallower than it was with the modifier. Rey nodded.

“Well, they’re a custom BB unit with a selenium drive and a thermal hyperscan vindicator-”

Rey was cut off by Kylo Ren as he began to rant. “It's carrying a section of a navigational chart. And we have the rest. Recovered from the archives of the Empire but we need the last piece.” The man reached out with his hand. She felt him trying to get into her mind, and then he pushed through.

“And somehow you convinced the droid to show it to you. You. A scavenger. You know I can take whatever I want.”

Kylo pushed harder at her mind, taking what he found interesting. He stood right next to her, holding his hand mere inches away from her face. Rey strained to keep him away from her.“You're so lonely. So afraid to leave. At night, desperate to sleep, you imagine an ocean. I see it. I see the island. And Han Solo. You feel like he's the father you never had.”

He paused. “He would have disappointed you.”

This was Han Solo’s son. Han Solo’s son destroyed the New Republic, Luke Skywalker’s school. She could fight him. She felt Ani’s presence but Han Solo’s son couldn’t. “Get out of my head.” She growled. She was trying to be intimidating, all the ways she knew how, but nothing was shaking him.

“I know you’ve seen the map,” He said, pushing harder, the pressure in her head swelling. “It’s in there, and you will give it to me. Don’t be afraid. I feel it too.”

Rey remembered what her grandfather told her. She fought back, channeling everything she had. “I’m not giving you anything,” She snarled. It hurt, fighting against him. Rey felt like she was causing herself more harm than he was, but she kept trying to keep him out of her head. 

He smirked. “We’ll see.”

And suddenly the tables were turned, and Rey was looking at herself from Kylo Ren’s eyes. There were flashes of images in his mind, of a blond man with a green lightsaber, a little girl with three knots on the back of her head, and twisted, demented remains of a black mask. It was not the one that Kylo Ren had just worn, but older.

Kylo tried to fight back against her but Rey was stronger and he was taken by surprise. Rey was suddenly back in her own head, staring at a man who suddenly looked much younger. She smiled, almost sadistically, breaths crashing over her like ocean waves. “You. You’re afraid. You’re afraid that you’ll never be as powerful as Darth Vader.”

Kylo Ren’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, not that Rey knew what a fish was. He stumbled for a response, but then grabbed his helmet and stormed out of the room. Even though she was still restrained, Rey could feel that Ani was proud of her.


	6. You Will Give Him Hope

The Millennium Falcon was on its way to Ahch-To. Rey was adjusting, the best she could. This world was far too different for it to be easy. Sleeping in communal quarters was something entirely new. Poe’s breathing was easy, but Rey knew he would wake up soon and pace around the ship. Poe had made it out alive from the past few days, but not without consequences. Finn and Ben were at the cockpit, making sure that nothing was going wrong with the old, rundown ship. There were so many repairs to be made. 

Rey found herself nodding off, and she welcomed sleep, melting into the thin, but soft, mattress. But then she woke.

She looked around. Poe was still sleeping. BB-8 was still plugged in, low power mode. What had woken her? She feared that Ben had turned back to what he knew, but when she saw the three of them, she relaxed. 

“Naberrie, Ess, Ani!” She greeted the three of them. They all smiled at her, Ani looking around the ship, examining his surroundings. Instead of his regular grey robes, he wore a darker set, closer fitting than his usual.

“It’s good to see you, little one, even if you are not little any longer.” Ess said, and Rey got out of her bunk and hugged her great grandmother. 

“Hello, granddaughter,” Ani greeted. “Nice ride.”

Rey smiled. “Thanks. It’s Han Solo’s.” Ani rolled his eyes and matched Rey’s grin. His fingers twitched, eyes never staying on one place for long, as if he was noticing things he wanted to change or fix. 

“I never knew Han Solo while I was living. I did, however, know his good friend Chewbacca.”

Rey gasped, still smiling. “You knew Chewie?” 

Ani nodded. “In passing, during the Clone Wars. He was closer with my master’s colleagues. I was never a part of the Jedi Counsel, only a Jedi Knight. And besides, I was never around to step foot on the infamous Millennium Falcon.”

“It was on Jakku the entire time but I didn’t recognize it!” Rey laughed. 

“It’s good to see you safe,” Naberrie said. Rey nodded, and hugged her grandmother. She was wearing a soft yellow dress embroidered with flowers, her curly hair cascading down her back, some of it tied into two neat buns on the sides of her head, contained by gold mesh connected with a headband. She looked like royalty. Rey couldn’t believe that her grandmother was so beautiful. 

“Why are you here?” Rey asked. “You never show up unless something extraordinary is about to happen, good or bad. No offense.” 

The three shared glances before Ess spoke. “Rey, every day you come closer to finding the family that left you behind. They really only wanted to keep you safe, even if they only endangered you in the long run.”

Naberrie spoke. “You are the descendant of slaves and queens, senators and soldiers and generals. You are related to too many pilots, too many desert children, too many mechanics. You are the daughter of teachers and explorers and men who try too hard to be good.”

“Luke Skywalker is on the largest island on the planet. You have been dreaming of the place. You will lead your friends to him. You will be the one to bring Luke Skywalker out of hiding. I know it to be true.” Ani took Rey’s hands, holding them tight. 

“But what if he refuses?” Rey asked. “He got there on his own in the first place, if he wanted to leave, he would have already.” Ani let go of her hands, looking towards the ceiling.

Naberrie seemed to deflate with sorrow. “He couldn’t have. As we float in the afterworld, we have watched Luke Skywalker. He crashed. He took an X Wing and he didn’t mean to survive the landing. He had lost everything. He saw no hope.”

Ani took his wife’s hand. “But he will see hope in you, Rey. You are the hope he has lost.”

Ess smiled. “You are a survivor. You were thrown into one of the harshest worlds in the galaxy and you came out of it stronger. You were told that your family was never coming back but you kept believing. You will show Luke Skywalker how to have hope.”

Rey looked at her family, eyes moving between Ess, Ani, and Naberrie before she ran into Ess’s arms. “Everything’s changed. I can’t do it.”

The ghosts looked to each other. And then they all folded around her, holding her tight. They all remembered what had happened when they were nineteen. What had happened when their son, Ess’s grandson, was nineteen. They were never ready. But they kept marching on. 

Rey woke as the Falcon dropped out of hyperspace. They were there. 


End file.
